Anti-Oppression, Inclusion and Accessibility in Yoga
Podcasts & ArticlesWhether we like it or not, and whether we want to admit it or not, yoga has become a very exclusionary practice that is limited to the privileged few. More often than not, yoga is catered to wealthy, thin, young, flexible, white and able-bodied people. However, as yoga teachers, we all know about the benefits yoga has for all bodies, regardless of shape, size, age, ethnicity or ability.
As yoga teachers, it is our responsibility to create inclusive, respectful and non-judgemental spaces where our students feel safe and welcome. Here is a list of podcasts and articles to support you on this journey.
269: Yoga Philosophy and Colonialism with Shyam Ranganathan
Yoga philosophy is more than just the 8 limbs. Dr. Shyam Ranganathan (he/him) shares about yoga philosophy and the impacts of colonialism.
266: Social Location, Power & Privilege with Raudhah Rahman
What is social location and what does it have to do with teaching yoga? Raudhah Rahman (she/her) explains more about intersecting identities, the importance of recognizing and questioning our privilege, and how this ties into our role as yoga teachers.
265: Teach LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Yoga with Gabi Parkham
How can we start creating safer, braver, and more inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ folks in our yoga classes? Gabi Parkham (she/her) shares what the acronym means, why education is an important first step, small changes we can start making, and more!
259: Yoga in Schools with Crunch Ranjani
Should yoga be taught in schools? Crunch Ranjani (she/her) shares her research on the Alabama law that prohibits yoga teaching in schools and her experiences as a South Asian growing up in a Hindu family. Crunch leads us to question – are we being harmful in our yoga spaces?
249: Yoga for Older Grownups with Maria Kirsten
Ever considered teaching yoga for older grownups? Maria Kirsten (she/her) shares more about what teaching yoga to older grownups can be like and her approach to teaching this group of people. She also shares things to avoid, health conditions, and more.
247: Being Wrong is Part of Learning with Shannon Crow
We all make mistakes. Being wrong is a part of learning and growing. In this episode, Shannon Crow (she/her) shares more from her experience about when she was wrong about some things and how she learned from these mistakes.
246: Anger, Forgiveness & Self-Care with Jacoby Ballard
How do anger and forgiveness fit into our own practice and self-care? Jacoby Ballard (he/him, they/them) shares more about how to understand, process, and integrate big emotions into our daily practice, and how this can drive us and our work.
239: Connecting in Divisive Times with Sinéad O’Connor
These are divisive times, both online and off. Despite our views on vaccination, how can we practice care or ahimsa for ourselves and others around us? Sinead O’Connor (she/her) shares her perspective living with a health condition through the pandemic.
237: Scope of Practice & Compassion with Drew Hume
As yoga teachers, what lies within our scope of practice when it comes to talking about vaccination? Shannon Crow (she/her) and Drew Hume (he/him) discuss some common sentiments in the broader context of conversations happening in the yoga community.
231: Conscious Marketing with Tristan Katz
How can you market your yoga in an authentic and genuine way that reflects the work you’ve been doing around anti-oppression and inclusion? Tristan Katz (they/them) has some insights and tips how yoga teachers can engage in conscious marketing.
230: Anti-Oppression Yoga with Pooja Virani
What is anti-oppression yoga, and how does it play into the way we share yoga in the world? Pooja Virani (she/her) explains more about how privilege, and oppression shows up in yoga spaces, and what we can do to create more inclusive spaces for all.
229: Closed Captioning for Zoom Yoga with Landen Stacy
Do you have closed captions enabled for your Zoom classes? Landen Stacy (he/him) explains why closed captions are an important addition to your online yoga classes, what you need to add them to Zoom, plus some bonus tips on accessibility!
Closed Captions for Online Yoga Classes
Here we explore why close captions are a useful addition to our online yoga class and a step-by-step guide on how to enable them for Zoom.
Teaching Yoga in Schools: Examining the Issues Raised by the Alabama Bill
The news that Alabama would lift a ban on yoga in public schools was met with a range of reactions within the yoga world. For many, it was shocking that for almost 30 years, yoga had been banned.
219: Yoga for Abundant Bodies with Dianne Bondy
How can we be more inclusive toward people in abundant bodies in our yoga spaces? Dianne Bondy (she/her) shares about being mindful of the language we use around people in larger bodies, and how to hold space for them in a respectful, and welcoming way.
218: Body Positive Yoga with Gillian McCollum
What exactly is body positive yoga, and how can we create truly inclusive and accessible yoga spaces? Gillian McCollum (she/her) shares insights about body positive yoga, the challenges and mindset issues we may have around it, and more.
217: The Yoga of Trans* Affirmation with Avery Kalapa & Maygen Nicholson
How can yoga teachers help to create anti-oppression, inclusive yoga spaces? Avery Kalapa (they/them) and Maygen Nicholson (she/they) share insights from the trans and gender non-binary community about how yoga teachers can learn together and do better.
Open Letter to J Brown
After hearing an episode of the J Brown podcast I felt compelled to email him and suggest ways that we as yoga teachers can learn together.
210: The Future of Yoga with Amber Karnes
What does the future look like for yoga, and what does that mean for yoga teachers? Amber Karnes shares insights on teaching yoga online in the future, why online yoga may be more accessible for some, and how to navigate moving forward meaningfully.
203: Do Politics Belong in Yoga? with Chara Caruthers & Maria Kirsten
How does your yoga inform your politics? Chara Caruthers (she/her) and Maria Kirsten (she/her) highlight the intersections of yoga and politics, and explain how the philosophies of yoga ties in to all aspects of our lives, including politics.
199: Creating Inclusive Yoga Spaces Erin Ajayi
What does an inclusive yoga space look and feel like to our BIPOC students? Erin Ajayi (she/her) shares her experiences as a Black yoga student and gives suggestions on how yoga teachers, practitioners and studios can create more inclusive yoga spaces.
195: LGBTQ Awareness for Yoga Teachers with Tristan Katz
Tristan Katz (they/them) taks to Shannon about creating braver, safer and more inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ students in our community.
189: Your Movement Science is Racist with Jesal Parikh
Shannon talks to Jesal Parikh about racism in yoga and how appropriation and privilege show up in our movement science.
184: Is Yoga Cultural Appropriation? with Shailla Vaidya
Is yoga cultural appropriation? Dr Shailla Vaidya tackles this complex question by sharing her own experiences with yoga in a Western context. She also talks about how we can share yoga respectfully, and honour its history, culture and traditions.
BONUS: Anti-Racism & Yoga with Michelle Johnson
Today, in this bonus episode, we hear from Michelle Johnson on the topic of anti-racism and yoga. How we can, as yoga teachers (and studios), hold space for the conversations that need to happen? How can we move into the realm of social justice?
173: Social Justice, Politics & Yoga with Chara Caruthers and Maria Kirsten
Shannon talk to Chara Caruthers and Maria Kirsten of the Live Like You Love Yourself Podcast, on the topics we sometimes shy away from – Social justice, anti-racism and politics in yoga.
146: How to Empower Your Yoga Students with Yonnie Fung
Yonnie Fung talks to us about how to create safe, inclusive and ethical spaces that empower our yoga students and maximize their choice.
138: Accessible Yoga Beyond Asana with Jivana Heyman
What does it mean to make yoga accessible to everyone? Yoga goes beyond just asana, so what does it really mean? Jivana Heyman shares his thoughts on this.
108: Inclusive Language for Prenatal Yoga with Shannon Crow
Inclusive language is not something a lot of us think about or consider when we are teaching yoga. However, it is an important part of creating welcoming spaces where our students feel accepted and safe. This can be particularly complicated in a prenatal, postnatal, fertility, or baby & me yoga class.
092: Accessible Yoga Begins with Language with Elliot Kesse, Chantel Ehler and Katie Juelson
We’d all like to reach as many people as possible and share yoga with them. We may not realize how our language may be excluding or offending some people.
067: Yoga for Every Body with Amber Karnes
Amber Karnes of Body Positive Yoga, talks to us today about how we can use language, modifications, awareness and marketing to make our yoga classes accessible to every body. Amber wants to emphasize that individuals need to feel that it’s NEVER their body that’s the problem in a yoga pose.
060: Accessible Yoga with Sarah Helt
There has been a growing movement focused on making yoga accessible to all that has caught Shannon’s attention. On today’s episode Shannon has invited Sarah Helt, an Ambassador from the Accessible Yoga organization, to share her insight on this topic. Sarah speaks...